How to Get a Shiny Pokemon In Pokemon X and Y

Pokemon is serious business. You enslave them. You breed them. You coerce them into waging wars they have no stake in. But as serious as Game Freak's much beloved simulacrum of antagonistic animal husbandry can be, it pales in comparison to the gravitas of distinguishing yourself from the plebeian masses. Everyone knows that there can only be one Pokemon master.

Still, with more than four million copies of the latest iteration already sold, how does one make one's star shine brighter? Building the ultimate team takes time, effort and research while bribing the Elite Four in exchange for validation would probably require at least a fair understanding of transdimensional travel. In light of all that, here's my suggestion:

Get a shiny Pokemon.

Heck, why stop there? Get a full team. Bewilder your opponents with aesthetic opulence. Humble them with this testament to your luck and determination. Pizzazz wins battles, not hard work and skill. If you're new to the Pokemon franchise and have no idea what I'm talking about, shiny Pokemon are like the Holy Grail (except more accessible and arguably less useful.) In terms of function, they're identical to their more pedestrian cousins. Looks-wise, however, that's where it gets interesting. Shiny Pokemon are uniformly of a weird, often striking pigmentation. And sparkly. Slightly.

As you may have already deduced, they're also ridiculously rare. The chances of breeding a shiny or discovering one in the wild is a dismal 1/8192. Fortunately, there are several ways to circumnavigate the appalling odds.

Breeding for Success

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Check out these other USgamer Pokemon articles. We have tons of hints, tips and information on how to get the best out of your team – and become a Pokemon master.

Named after Game Freak director Junichi Masuda, the Masuda Method is a technique that was implemented as an attempt to encourage players to perform more transcontinental trades. Smogon University, a website dedicated to the fine art of competitive Pokemon battling, was the first to figure out the method and breeders everywhere have been using it ever since. Just how good is this technique? With the help of the Masuda method, the chances of breeding a shiny Pokemon in Generation IV were increased by 5. By the next iteration, that success rate had shot up to 6 - a definite improvement over the baseline. Unfortunately, though many claim it's still a viable strategy, no official word has been released in regards to whether or not the Masuda Method can still be utilized in the current-gen Pokemon games and if the success rate has escalated even further.

For those willing to risk it, the Masuda Method is pretty simple: breed two Pokemon from different geographical backgrounds(The little tags next to their names will inform you exactly where they're from) together.

Don't break the chain!

'Chaining' Pokemon can be a frustrating chore. If you're good, it can be a short-cut to triumph. If you're not, it might be a broken 3DS screen. The idea behind chaining is reflective of its name: it's the act of meeting the same Pokemon, again and again, in unbroken succession. Purportedly, doing so will significantly increase the success rate of encountering a shiny Pokemon, raising the odds from a horrific 1/8192 to a far more palatable 1/200.

Super repels are essential. Your "chain" can be broken if you run into a Pokemon other than the one you're hunting.

Always try to find a patch of grass that is at least 5vs5.

Make sure all your transportation devices have been put away. Do not skate or cycle through the grass.

When you use the PokeRadar, you'll see patches of grass shake. Take note of whether it is a gentle gyration or something more vigorous.

When you find the Pokemon you're attempting to chain, knock it out and be sure to walk into patches that reverberate the same way as the swathe of green that surrendered the initial Pokemon.

Only enter patches that are at least 4 spaces horizontally or vertically from you.

Remember to reset your PokeRadar if you KO a Pokemon on the edge of your chosen field.

Don't get overambitious. You only need to succeed at getting a chain of 40. After that, you just have to reset your PokeRadar till you discover a shiny patch - pleasant sounds will indicate its manifestation.

Make you sure you can actually catch the shiny when you find it. I recommend not being a miser with the Pokeballs.

If landbound Pokemon don't float your boat, you can opt out and go fish instead. Performing a fishing chain is questionably easier. Once you've succeeded in getting the fisherman from Route 16 to divulge that rare Pokemon can be acquired through consecutive fishing, you can be on your way. What you have to do then is ensure that you do not move from your fishing spot as any superfluous motion will break your streak. Pulling the rod too early or failing to get a nibble will also destroy your chances. Needless to say, having a Pokemon with Suction Cups as your lead Pokemon is a good idea. Confused? Here's a helpful video:

Carry a four-leaf clover

In real life. Not in the game. In real life. While you're at it, you may also want to solicit the services of a Maneki Neko, get a rabbit to donate a foot and attempt prayer. Because having Lady Luck smile on you is the only other way you're going to get those shiny Pokemon, folks!

(Don't hurt me.)

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@cassandrakhaw Tried it again and got to 51 before accidentally pressing the button too fast. Still no shiny. You may be right, but at least this way is more interactive than running around to hatch eggs.

I caught a shiny dragalge after 13 casts! I've spent over 300 hours trying the Masuda method and it kind of upsets me that I got a shiny that fast fishing. But I am not complaining, considering this is my first shiny (excluding the red gyarados) also I did have an inkay in my party. Maybe you could post some good fishing spots you know of?Edited December 2013 by kyletolbert36

I'm really loving the shinies in X and Y. This is legitimately the only Pokemon game where I actually managed to get shinies on my own. I have 5, 2 of them are in Black, 1 from the GTS (Charizard) and 1 from a trade with an old internet friend of mine (Alakazam). The other 3 are in X. I have a shiny Octillery from chain fishing, an Umbreon from Masuda Method, and a Kirlia from Wonder Trade.

I'd say my favorite is Masuda, because you don't have to focus so much on it, you can kind of zone out while you're hatching eggs, listen to music, watch TV, even play another game, because you only need to focus once the eggs start to hatch. The amount of eggs depends, but I got my Eevee on egg #260, which is considerably long for Masuda, actually. Most people I heard of got under 100. But I can say the increased odds do help, I tried in Black, I got like 300 eggs hatched and nothing, but I got something in X, so yaaaaaaay. :p

Now, chainfishing is cool too. This is the thing, is that the shinies never come when you expect them. I had just been derping around with my rod in Azure Bay when I found a shiny Remoraid. I had a chain of 10-30 and I was kind of shocked. One of my friends actually got a Luvdisc from chaining yesterday, and he only had a chain of 2! I'm not certain of the exact figures, but my guess is that that's practically the same odds as a random encounter.
There was also that one from Wonder Trade, too. That was just a good luck day for me, I was in Wonder Trade at the right time and got matched with the right person. I had just hatched shiny Eevee the day before and I was clearing out my boxes and BAM! Shiny Ralts. I'm gonna have to Masuda Breed more often.
I've never gotten a shiny from chains or RAs before. I have this possible bug with my game where after I KO a Pokemon in a chain sometimes, the radar music just stops and the regular route music plays, breaking my chain for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. I don't do anything, I SWEAR it's my game glitching. Because of that bug, I don't chain in grass much. And random enounters... you don't even know how bad my luck is with RNGS, do you!? Hehe.
Well, maybe my luck is looking up. I mean, I just got 3 shinies in 1 month, 2 in 2 days! All these people are saying finding shinies is too easy now. Listen, now the odds of shinies are high enough to be rare, but low enough for me to actually get some of the love as well. I'm working on more Masuda Breeding (for Vulpix this time), and it's really not that stressful, so when in doubt, hatch eggs! Then Wonder Trade them for more shinies!! :p

Dont ask me how, but I got a shiny clauncher in 2 tries for the chain fishing option. I was at the top left area of cyllage city in one of the glittery spots near the rocks. I think I used an old rod and the clauncher is now up for trade my trainer is Phosphora (duh) if you want it my friend code is 2062 - 9640 - 0606

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YOU get a ride in the TARDIS, YOU get a ride in the TARDIS, EVERYONE GETS A RIDE IN THE TARDIS!Edited July 2014 by Phosphoradapokemonsu

@tammyireland40 let us see, the purple flower patch in route 5, the giant yellow patch in Pokemon Village and other big patches of tall grass are good for the PokeRadar and small, rocky and unnoticeable places where there are sparkly tiles are good for chain fishing. I got a shiny clauncher at cyllage city in the rocky part of the top left area.